Motor-drive for looms



D. C. LEONARD.

MOTOR DRIVE FOR LOOMS.

APPLICATION mm FEB. 14.1920.

1,379,349. Patented May24, 1921.

J unmu Q p. 0. Leonard D. C. LEGNARD.

MOTOR DRIVE FOR LOOMS. APPLICATION man FEB. 14, 1920'.

1,379,349. Patented May '24, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- .D- C-Leafiard.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MOTOR-DRIVE FOR LOQMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 24, 1921.

Application filed February 14, 1920. Serial No. 358,589.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DON C. LEONARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Greenville, in the county of Greenville, and State of South Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Motor- Drives for Looms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in motor drives for looms and has as one of its objects to provide a driving mechanism which may be installed in a compact form so as to occupy but little space at one end of the loom to be driven and which will, furthermore, be of such construction as to permit of the emplo -pment of a high speed electric motor of a relatively small size.

Anotl'ier object of the invention is to provide driving mechanism so constructed as to transmit power to the drive shaft of the loom in a steady manner and at a uniform rate of speed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a drive which may be readily modified to adapt it for the simultaneous operation of two looms so that where two looms are placed end to end with but little space between their adjacent ends, the compact drive embodying the present invention and employing but a. single motor may be installed thus economizing in space and providing a power plant common to the two looms where it would be impracticable to utilize individual power plants.

"-1 further object of the invention is the provision of a novel adjustable bearing for one of the gear elements of the drive for the purpose of providing against play of the said element,

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation of the motor drive embodying the present invention, the view illustrating the manner in which the same is to be installed with relation to the loom to be driven;

Fig. 2 is a view partly in top plan and partly in horizontal section;

Fig. 3 is a detail vertical longitudinal sectional view through a portion of the mechanism;

Fig. i is a front elevation illustrating the drive modified for employment in connection with two looms simultaneously.

In the drawings the numeral 1 indicates in general a loom which may be of any of the well-known constructions and this 100111 embodies the usual driving shaft which is indicated by the numeral 2 and upon which is secured a gear wheel 3 in mesh with a smaller gear wheel 4: fixed upon a shaft 5 which is mounted within the frame of the loom counter to the shaft 2. Power is to be applied to the shaft 5 through the medium of the drive embodying the present invention and is to be transmitted from this shaft through the gear 4 and gear wheel 3, to the driving shaft '2 of the loom so as to effect operation of the latter.

The improved drive embodying the invention includes a base which is indicated by the numeral 6 and which may be either mounted upon the floor of the room in which the loom is located and in position beside one end of the loom or this base or the parts supported thereby and to be presently described, may be directly mounted upon the corresponding end frame of the loom at a suitable point above a the shaft 5. The numeral 7 indicates an electric motor which is mounted upon the base 6, currentibeing supplied to this motor throng-ha flexible conductor 8 leading from a switch 9 preferably of the oil type and mounted upon the frame of the loom. The shaft of the electric motor is indicated by the numeral 10 and the same is connected by means of an ordinary type of flanged shaft coupling 11, to a shaft which is indicated by the numeral 12. This shaft 12 constitutes an element of a system of gearing which is best illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings and the shaft is rotatably mounted near its end which is connected with the shaft 10, in a bearing sleeve 13, and at its other end in a bearing sleeve 14. The said shaft 12 is provided intermediate its ends with a worm 15 engaged by the adjacent ends of the said bearing sleeves 18 and 14. The-sleeve 13 is adjustably threaded as at 16 into one end of a gear'casing 17 in the upper portion of which the worm 15 is housed, and the bearing sleeve 14: is similarly adjustably threaded as at 18 into the other end of the said casing. The sleeves 13 and 1d are provided respectively with heads 19 and 20 having sockets 21 adapting them for the application of a spanner wrench whereby the sleeves may be independently rotated and thus adjusted longitudinally within the respective ends of the gear casing. Collars 22 and 23 are threaded upon the sleeves 13 and 14, respectively, and may be tightened to bear against the corresponding ends of the gear casing 17 so as tohold the bearing sleeves in positions of adjustment. The worm 15 meshes with a worm gear 24 housed within the lower portion of the gear casing 1'7 and fixed upon a shaft 25 which will Presently be more specifically referred to. At this point it will be understood that if there is any looseness in the meshing of the worm 15 with the worm gear 24 such as would be liable to cause lost motion, or in the event the worm orgear should become worn, the lost motion may be taken up by turning the bearing sleeve 14 so as to slightly retract it from engagement with the end of the worm 15 after which the bearing sleeve 13 may be adjusted so as to feed it into the gear casing I and against the worm until the worm and;

its shaft have been shifted a sufiicient distance to accomplish the desired result after which the sleeve 14 may be turned back into place until the end of the shaft engages the end of the-bore of the sleeve whichend is closed as indicated by the numeral 26 and constitutes therefore a thrust bearing for this end of the shaft 12.

The shaft 25 is mounted at its end portions in bearings 27 at the opposite sides of the lower portion of the gear casing and, of course, extends at right angles to the shaft 12 and beneath the same. is to be employed in connection with a single loom, a pinion 28 is fixed upon one end only of the said shaft 25, and a link belt 29 is trained about this pinion and about a similar pinion 30 which is loosely mounted upon the shaft 5 as. clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. Thus when the motor is running,

the pinion 30 will be continuously rotated. This pinion is provided with one member 31 of a clutch the other member of which clutch is indicated by the numeral 32 and is held upon the shaft 5 for rotation there- Where the drive with although capable of sliding movement, by means of a key or spline 38. A yoke 34 is engaged with the clutch'member 32 and is adapted to be operated through the movement of a controlling lever 35 and by operating this lever the clutch member 32 may be thrown into and out of clutch with the member 31 so as to control the operation of by means of the link belts above referred to. 7

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

In power transmission mechanism, a casing having communicating gear chambers, a worm gear rotatably mounted in one of said chambers, the other chamber having oppositely located end walls formed with alined correspondingly threaded bores of equal diameter and length, eXteriorly threaded bearing sleeves adj ustably fitted in said bores with their inner ends projecting into the last-mentioned gear chamber beyond the planes of the end walls thereof, the outer ends of the sleeves projecting exteriorly of the end walls of the chamber and being provided with means whereby the sleeves may be rotatably adjusted, the said sleeves having alined bores, a shaft rotatably journaled in the bores of the sleeves, and a worm upon the shaft meshing with the worm gear,

the said inner ends of the sleeves bearing at the opposite ends of the worm.

In testimony whereof I affix my si gnatufe.

DON o. LEONARD. 11. 5. 

